Married at Twenty-Five
by Rinny Queenston
Summary: Based on the writing prompt by writing-prompt-s on tumblr: "Anyone not married by age 25 gets a spouse assigned to them by the government. You are fine with that: most matches are a success and it's less effort for you. But it's your wedding day and you've just met your match. You cannot imagine how this was the person they chose for you…..!"
1. Chapter 1

The law was set in place years ago to stabilize the population, though such things were forgotten immediately in school after the teacher moved on to equally mundane topics. It was a tradition to some, a punishment for others, or a reason new couples got married as quick as possible.

The law was that all those unmarried by twenty-five were assigned to get married to someone else in the same predicament. It wasn't all bad; mostly everyone Nea knew who were married through this system were happy. The government needed to ensure that things would work out to prevent public outrage, and so Nea thought it would be easy, and chances were the other person would probably feel the same way, unless their family taught that this system was a punishment for laziness or being anti-social (a trend he'd seen in recent years), so he had hopes higher than the baseline of apathy.

What Nea didn't expect, however, was for on his wedding day to find his match bound and leashed to the altar.

It was awkward enough being pushed up there by the planner, put in place by the government without much heed from Nea and most likely his match. They stared at each other as the priest gave his speech, Nea not even listening as he could feel a subtle tinge of dread eating through him.

The atmosphere for the wedding was strange and tense, Nea having expected it to be rather mundane since nobody was truly excited for these matched weddings. Though, having one half of the couple bound to the altar and looking like he was ready to jump the fence any moment made it… awkward.

To make it worse, it didn't seem like his match had any family there, which made Nea wonder about his history and his life, about his family and friends or if he even had any. Normally, an event like this would mean that they would have time in the future to learn about each other and grow from it, but with his matched apparently trying to figure a way to escape and needing to be bound? He couldn't be sure.

At least he was cute, though.

The priest kept talking, and Nea glanced over to the spectators to catch sight of his brother Mana, giving a slightly uneasy smile which was returned by a hopeful and reassuring one, accompanied by a thumb's up, too. It eased away Nea's tension just a bit so he could return his gaze to the man in front of him, looking like he followed Nea's gaze over to Mana and then back again. Mana's smile and thumb's up seemed to settle him down a little bit, so Nea thought that that was good, at least.

In a wedding like this, there were no vows written by either party as they did not know each other, did not know what to expect, and it was simply cut down to the priest all but reading a set of official vows that could branch out to every couple.

Nea didn't listen, he just waited for the cues he was supposed to know, but he didn't even know if his match was paying attention. His eyes, so silver and clear they resembled diamonds, kept flickering back and forth from the priest, the spectators, Nea, and then everything behind and around them, almost searching.

Yeah, he wanted to run.

Repressing a groan, Nea noted a few words that were coming up to the finalization of the priest's job, and he didn't know how he was going to do this. It was awkward, a little embarrassing, and with his match _not even listening_ he didn't want to surprise him.

Of course, wishing could only go so far, and when the priest said, "You may now kiss the groom," Nea felt himself dying inside, particularly at the insinuation that they'd been waiting for ages just to be given permission to do such a simple interaction.

Goddammit, it was the twenty-first century! Nobody waited until marriage to _kiss_ anymore!

Barely keeping his uneasiness off his face, Nea decided to give his match some warning by reaching out to grip his wrist, catching his attention for good.

Their eyes met, and then Nea saw the recognition in the man's gaze. ' _So he_ _ **was**_ _listening_ ,' Nea thought to himself, and then decided now was better than later. The match followed his lead, and they tentatively and unpassionately shared a chaste kiss. Both of them were quick to pull away from it, like they didn't just do it and the spectators weren't there to witness it.

Just then, when normally the two of them would start walking down the aisle together, Nea remembered that the match was still leashed to the altar, and another government worker stepped out to unhook him.

They barely started walking, and yet the worker still held the leash.

Unable to hold himself back, Nea stepped over to him and slipped the leash from the worker, taking in his alarmed and almost offended gaze as Nea simply smirked at him.

"Sorry, but I thought that since he's _my_ husband and it's _our_ honeymoon, that I'm the one who should be holding his leash," he held out his hand and gave a flashy wink, "and the key to his restraints for later tonight."

His newlywed and the worker's eyes were saucers, but from behind him he could distinctly make out Road's voice as she groaned loudly and yelled out, "Nea, seriously?!"

Nea simply grinned over his shoulder, seeing the exasperated, if not thoroughly amused, expressions of his family members in varying degrees of embarrassment, and then turned his attention back to his newlywed and his personal watchdog. Surprisingly, it was the worker who was still flustered, but Nea's husband only seemed to be conflicted between embarrassed and amused.

"Sorry," Nea apologized, starting to walk alongside his new husband, "didn't mean to drop that bombshell on you. The mood was suffocating."

His husband gave a quiet, restrained giggle before glancing behind him. "Link, are you alright?"

The worker gave a tired sigh.

Laughing quietly, Nea decided to keep their conversation down until they got away from his family, and only then did the worker, apparently named Link, undid Nea's husband's bonds. His husband flexed his wrists and stretched his arms, Nea simply watching him and wondering how long it took to dye his hair white. It was almost as white as a wedding dress, so it was impressive to look at.

Noticing his gaze, the man paused in his stretches before offering his right hand. "Oh, I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Allen."

Smiling at this sudden positive change of pace, Nea mirrored Allen and shook his hand. "And I'm Nea Campbell. So, are you taking my last name or am I taking yours?" Nea hymned, earning a rather intrigued smile from Allen.

After a moment's thought, he glanced back to Link. "I want your last name."

"Absolutely not!" Link bristled, his cheeks dusting with pink, and Nea laughed.

He kind of liked this.

However, seeing Link continue to follow them out to his car, Nea found himself continuously glancing back at him, waiting to see him leave. Link never did, and even took up the job of _driving_ them to where Nea decided would be a good honeymoon (even if it was just so they could learn about each other), and insisted that Nea and Allen sit together in the back.

It was quiet, Link not even touching the radio, and Nea couldn't hold it back any longer.

"Hey, Allen, did I marry you or did I marry you and your husband Link?"

Allen all but exploded into giggles, and Link startled so hard he almost swerved the car out of their lane.

Neither answered his question. Oh well.


	2. Chapter 2

**_AN: I didn't intend to write another part of this but literally after like two reviews I got several ideas and I couldn't... leave it alone... Kind of fitting to post this on Valentines Day, though!_**

 ** _Thank you for your comments they're the highlight of my life._**

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"Wait so… he's sleeping here?" Nea asked, the shock holding his voice monotone.

Allen was sitting on the hotel room floor, eating what was probably his fourth bag of goldfish crackers, "Yeah, me and Link, we've shared a room for…" he tilted his head, "four years now? Wow, it feels so much shorter than that."

For a moment, Nea could only stare at him. He hadn't figured out their relationship yet, but even so, he didn't know _any_ explanation could make this scenario play out in a way that he would understand.

Lightly shaking his head, Nea tried to look serious, "Yeah, but does he have to sleep in our bed?"

The gasp Allen gave was horrified, "What?! Of course he does! It's like… it's like…" looking for an example, he stumbled to his feet and raced over to the chair where Nea's cat Timcanpy was sleeping. With little effort (which was surprising since Tim was gigantic), he hauled the cat into his arms and held him out to Nea, "It's like saying you won't let Tim sleep in your bed!"

"It's not the same thing?" Nea said, his voice straining, "Timcanpy's my cat, not a man!"

Link cleared his throat, giving Nea a terrible case of side-eyed scrutiny from where he was reading, "Do you have to talk about me like I'm not present in the room?"

"Then can _you_ give me a reason why you can't just sleep on the couch or in a connecting room?" Nea watched as Allen got Timcanpy to settle in the crook of his arm, looking like a large furry pillow with a cat's head attached.

Link wasn't particularly helpful as he turned back to his book, "I'm his bodyguard."

"And that's your reason?" Nea whispered quietly to himself, but then watched as the two resumed what they were doing.

Allen just plopped back onto the floor and resumed eating his goldfish, cross-legged with Timcanpy on his lap while he watched the TV on the wall. The position and how he had to stare up at the screen made him look even more childish with his soft and rounded features, and even his hair wasn't so alarming after Nea had grown used to it, no longer making Allen look older.

Suddenly not knowing what to do about this situation, Nea sighed and decided to redirect it, ducking down to snatch the bag of crackers away from Allen.

"Hey!" he immediately cried out, reaching up with his right hand to get his crackers back.

"If you're so hungry then we should get dinner," Nea could feel himself becoming his mother, "I mean, there's all sorts of good food here, do you really wanna fill up on goldfish?"

"Don't," Link said immediately, earning a confused look from Nea, "his stomach's an endless blackhole. You'll get banned from anywhere with a buffet and he'll render you bankrupt in a moderately priced restaurant." Turning back to his book, Link stifled a laugh, "Though, since you're apparently rich, you'll at least be able to keep up with the groceries."

The words just went over Nea's head, and he stared at the blonde man at a loss. "…What?"

"I eat a lot!" Allen said, almost proudly, "I'm also _severely_ in debt… still… even after, oh god," he started thinking again, but he began to look stressed out before he all but whispered, "five years? Five years and I've got all that debt left…"

He didn't know how it was possible, but Allen got even paler, and it looked like he was having something akin to an allergic reaction. Nea stilled, but then looked back to Link who wasn't even minding it, like this was a common occurrence.

Why was he matched up this kid again? He knew it was based on algorithms that went through everything he ever publicly did or announced, but as the wealthy son of an aristocratic family he couldn't guess what likenesses they had to be matched together.

Allen continued to stress, and Nea could faintly make out numbers, dates, and names in all the words that were quietly spilling from his lips. That was the final straw and finally Nea couldn't take it anymore, dropping down to drag Allen out from under Timcanpy and onto his feet. Allen gave a series of confused noises while Nea pulled him from the room, hearing Link scrambling out after them.

"Wh-Where are we going?!" Allen asked when they were in the hallway, making their way towards the lobby.

Nea's hand dropped from Allen's bicep down to his hand. May as well look like a couple, right? "Dinner. I thought we'd go to a five-star restaurant but since the portions are tiny and everything's overpriced, we're going somewhere else."

"Oh thank god," he heard Link whisper, and it almost made Nea laugh.

Seemingly interested, Allen didn't bother to complain and even started to look like he was getting excited. It was almost easy to forget they were strangers with Nea's fingers laced with Allen's and with Link quietly walking behind them. It was calming and comfortable, despite the hitches so far.

Outside the hotel, the sun was warm and willing to allow anyone outside to bask under its glow. Everything was shaded with golds and yellows, oranges that added to the warmth of the late afternoon. Gold was Nea's favorite color. It was the color of wheat, the color of his family's eyes when the light hit them. It was the color of his cat, of summer when he and his brother would go out playing as kids, getting lost in their endless fields and enjoying the tranquility of nowhere.

When Nea looked at Allen to comment on their surroundings, he caught the warm glow in Allen's eyes, and the breath caught in Nea's throat.

His eyes reflected the setting sun more perfectly than a mirror, and his hair took in all the golden-orange light only to wear it proudly. It was the light that made Allen's scar disappear in the stark shadows, only highlighting the golden shimmer more and making it dazzling.

Allen caught his staring, and he opened his mouth to say something before he also got distracted. "Woah, are your eyes gold?"

Startled, Nea stepped back, feeling his cheeks warm, "Oh, uh… a bit?" He gave a lopsided smile, "They're brown; it's just a trick of the light."

"Well, that's cool!" Allen chuckled, "Link's got red eyes. Link, come here!"

"No," was the immediate answer, but Nea couldn't help but laugh.

"I think I noticed earlier, but it was so crazy then that I couldn't comment on it," Nea said cheerily, but then looked up as they came across the restaurant he was planning on.

It was a smaller place with an outdoor patio for customers, with an old beach-side theme that outgrew its welcome as buildings placed themselves between it and the waterfront. It boasted a stylish and modern design, but then speckled with cheesy décor scattered throughout the restaurant that made it feel more welcoming than it did fancy.

Nea walked in happily, Allen and Link a little more apprehensive as they gazed around curiously. The hostess broke their staring when she greeted them, and then after she lead them to a booth, Link sat next to Allen, trapping him in his seat in a way that Nea thought was intentional or at least something they did by habit. He didn't dare to ask, in any case, and merely tried not to notice. As the waitress came over to get their drinks and disperse their menus, Nea took the chance to steal a glance at Link.

Wow, he _did_ have red eyes.

He stared at him for a moment, taking in his face for probably the first time all day. He looked young, maybe about Nea's age…

Wait.

"Hey, Link," Nea started as the waitress walked off, catching both of his companion's attention, "how old are you?"

Seemingly surprised by the question, Link blinked twice before answering politely, "Twenty-four."

Nea just stared at him for a minute, waiting to see if he or Allen would say something, but when they only stared back, he felt the need to divulge what he was thinking.

"That means you're getting matched next year, doesn't it?" he said, trying to sound casual, "Unless, I mean, you've got a really cute lover. You're not bad looking so I don't doubt you could get one, but don't you think this," he gestured between Link and Allen, "would make them concerned?"

There was a sound, almost indescribable but similar to what Nea would imagine a dying airship would sound like if it were miles away and nearly silent. It barely increased in volume before Nea and Link glanced over to Allen, attempting to hide a wide-grin and shaking with reddened cheeks.

"S-Sorry, continue," he trembled out, turning to face the window and trying to quiet himself.

Link and Nea simply watched as Allen's shoulders shook and he made more dying-something noises, but then soon Link turned to Nea like this was normal.

"My relatives, including my boss, works for the government; he already has people to keep me from getting matched while I'm on my job."

Nea blinked. "And your job is to..?"

"Watch him," Link pointed at Allen who was still trying to recover, "he's a walking disaster and got my boss's attention because of just how..."

The word seemed lost on Link's tongue, and he only closed his eyes and shook his head with a disgruntled noise.

Wow, Nea hadn't expected that.

"H-He also keeps me safe from… people who are mad at my… father," Allen wheezed out, tears in his eyes that he was quickly trying to dab away with his napkin. "My… _dad_ … also bothered Link's boss a lot, so this arrangement with Link was almost made out of pure pettiness."

"And you don't mind?" Nea looked between them.

Both Link and Allen answered immediately. "Not at all."

Strange. Very strange. But Nea wasn't one to judge, seeing as his family was apparently a bunch of lunatics (according to several different people, not just his neighbors), and as Link and Allen seemed to have a mutual enjoyment in this scenario, Nea wasn't going to be the one to ruin it with opinions he didn't have a right to make.

So, he smiled a little and shrugged. "Well, at least you two like each other."

Allen seemed delighted, but Link merely looked away. Before Nea could see if he was blushing, however, the waitress returned with their drinks, Nea and Allen lighting up as they accepted theirs, and Link merely being polite.

The waitress then asked for what they wanted to eat, and Link made an offhand comment about maybe they should have gotten a bigger table, but Allen assured them that they wouldn't need one.

"After all," he said, "I ate all those goldfish."

Nea pulled his lips into a thin line and glanced to Link, but Link didn't look very settled, either.

True to their horrifying word, Allen's order almost surpassed what his family would order when they went out together, and though he asked for certain things to come out at different times, Nea found his eyes scraping the menu to find where they were so he could have _an idea_ how much it would cost.

He gently wished the waitress and the cooks the best, because he doubted he could bring Allen back here, at least not until their next trip.

When the waitress left, she was somewhat in shock, but Allen only looked _slightly_ guilty.

"I'm gonna have to call my bank when I pay for this," Nea said quietly to himself, already pulling out his phone and seeing if the number was in his contacts.

He heard Allen laugh, "Sorry, but everything looked good."

"Yeah, no problem," Nea gave a dry, slightly forced laugh, "I was just a little surprised."

Link gave a chuff, with only the slight quirk of his lips that told Nea that the noise he just made was supposedly a laugh.

"So, uh," Nea started, wanting to move on from this, and prolonging the inevitable bill, "when are your birthdays? Since I guess I _did_ marry Link, too."

Allen giggled despite Link's apparent uneasiness about the subject, something Nea found rather adorable, but then Allen answered for the both of them. "Mine's on December twenty-fifth and Link's is on December twenty-ninth."

Nea's eyes were huge. "Wait, you two are really that close together?"

Strangely, Allen gave a shrug, his head tipping over dramatically while his eyes still shone, "Well, to be honest I don't know when I was actually born. I was adopted the first time on Christmas." His eyes still shone, but everything else about him dimmed as he averted his gaze, "It's… very personal so I don't like to talk about it."

Hearing the plea, Nea smiled gently in understanding. "That's fine, you don't need to if you don't want." But then his attention turned to Link, "And what about you? You got family in the government and they have you following a cute boy for a living?"

The man's arms were crossed on the table, and after taking a small sip of his drink, he gave Nea a deadpanned stare. "His dad's on the run from the government; I'm in charge to make sure the son doesn't."

"What, is he a criminal?"

"May as well be," Allen shuddered as he said it, a slight grimace on his face, "I don't even remember what they're after him for… some sort of accusation of treason, if I had to guess."

"Treason, desertion, and withholding information from the government," Link answered easily, the two of them ignoring the way Nea's face drained of color and left in a state of awe.

What the hell was he marrying into..?

When the waitress returned with their meals, they happily accepted the distraction. They readied to eat, falling into a happy silence, but then Nea's eyes caught a flash of red, eyes pulling to Allen where he was removing his pure white gloves.

Allen's right hand was normal, with nicely done nails and no visible scratches or scars, but his left was red, almost mutilated in appearance. His nails were black and jagged, with what looked like veins popping out of the leathery skin, and on the back of his hand a disturbing mark that reminded Nea of the cattle he'd see in his neighbor's fields, the brands big and bold for all eyes to see.

Suddenly eating didn't seem like a good idea, but Nea tried not to make a comment and forced his eyes away. Somehow, he knew that Allen noticed his wandering gaze, a slightly solemn look on his face that made Nea's heart twinge with guilt. He kept his eyes low, not wanting to upset him, and soon it seemed to be effective as Allen perked up again, though he did drop his hand under the table whenever the waitress returned to change out plates and refill their drinks.

At the end of their dinner, Allen only took ten more minutes than Nea or Link did to finish eating, and with the waitress taking away anything that was empty, it didn't even look like Allen had as big of a meal as he requested.

Nea didn't look at the dollar amount on the bill when he paid, and he simply left the largest dollar amount he had in his wallet on the table for the possibly horrified waitress. As they left the restaurant, Allen and Link were chatting about this and that, and Nea let them as he simply listened, taking the chance to recharge his social batteries. Despite what many strangers thought, he as a little more reclusive than his brother or his mother, and he didn't want to burn himself out so early. If he and Allen had already known each other and established a friendship already, maybe he wouldn't have drained so easily.

As it stood, they were strangers, and then on top of that there was the addition of Link which both felt like a comfort and yet another drain on his energy.

When Nea turned around, he saw that Allen had on both of his gloves again, his left not looking any different with the cover of white cotton to hide away the red and the black. Despite the mystery, Nea found himself not caring, his curiosity surprisingly avoiding the topic altogether. He had seen bad things that he'd rather forget, had thought things he still felt ashamed for, and he didn't want to pry into someone else's pain for the sake of his own satisfaction.

Instead, he smiled, and sauntered back to walk alongside Allen, Link on the young man's other side.

Their friendship was playful, and though it originally felt very one-sided, Nea was beginning to notice the bits of affection in Link's eyes and his sharply pointed words, in every movement that could be read as hospitable and yet also genuinely kind. It was strange, but honestly with everything Nea learned about them so far, it only made sense.

When they arrived to the hotel, it was already dark, the sky a deep navy and only fended off by the streetlights outside. It was comfortably cool, and Nea wondered if it would lightly rain that night, but then it was dismissed as soon as they reached their room.

Behind him, Link and Allen were discussing the problems with going swimming in the middle of the night, Allen being for it and Link being against it, and after they started to grow heated, Nea decided to ignore them in hopes they'd simmer down themselves. The small light on the door lock glowed green as he inserted the card, and after he retrieved it he opened the door, only to be met by a soft and cranky meow.

Nea looked down at Timcanpy, the giant fluffball of a cat that staring up at him like he was waiting for him. "Tim! How long were you there for?" Nea laughed, stepping into the room to scoop up his cat.

He strode into the main bedroom area, away from the tiny kitchenette that was now painfully too small for their needs, his fingers buried in Timcanpy's fur. Nea prolonged putting the cat down as the other two made their way to what appeared to be designated spots, Link in his reading chair and Allen sitting on the floor. Of course, while they were fed, Timcanpy wasn't, and after an impatient bite between his forefinger and thumb, Nea winced and placed the cat on his bed.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll feed you," Nea said quietly, Allen all but whirling around at the sound of his voice.

"You'll what?"

Nea couldn't hold back a snicker, "I was talking to Tim!"

The disappointment on Allen's face made Nea laugh a little harder, Link simply scoffing even though he was fighting off another smile. As Nea went to the kitchenette where he had stashed the cat food, Allen got up and ghosted around him, almost like he was pressuring Nea to choose him instead.

Nea looked over his shoulder and pursed his lips. "Unless you like cat food, you're not getting fed again."

Allen's eyes were big, "I just wanted a little bit of a snack."

Opening his mouth to reply, Nea's eyes caught something gold and he hurriedly side-stepped. Allen looked after him in confusion until Timcanpy slammed onto his back, a startled shout escaping the man as he staggered against the counter. Timcanpy merely crawled over his shoulder without any care, and then roamed across the counter to meow loudly at Nea.

From where he was, Nea could see Allen getting over the shock, breathing shallowly and gripping the front of his shirt, but Nea couldn't help but laugh. "Sorry… I taught him to jump on my shoulders when he was little, and he never outgrew it and even started jumping on other people." Holding Timcanpy's bowl away from his paw as it stretched out for it, he continued, "I wasn't expecting him to get so _big_ … he's kind of a cannonball."

"I can tell," Allen said breathlessly, but then he broke back into a smile and pet behind Timcanpy's ears. "You probably should warn people…"

"Nah, It's fun to watch," Nea chuckled, "but also nobody ever visits who doesn't know so I forget… sorry."

After feeding Timcanpy, Nea excused himself to the bathroom to shower, deciding this moment of privacy would help him through the night. It wasn't expected of matched couples to have any sort of intimate contact on their wedding night, and even sharing a bed or a home wasn't actually enforced, but rather something that just seemed normal. You get married, you live together. You get married, you share a bed. You get married, you spend time together.

At least, that's what Nea was brought up to think, and he was grateful that Allen didn't seem averse to it.

After he showered, he got changed and didn't bother drying his hair completely, and as he stepped out of the bathroom he could only stare as Allen had somehow found a bag of chips.

"Where the hell…" Nea said quietly, momentarily pausing to stare at him.

Allen looked up at the voice, his distraction allowing for Timcanpy to steal the chip from his fingers. "There's a vending machine in the- holy Jesus," his eyes went wide as his eyes found Nea, locking onto him like he grew a second head. "You look so different with your hair down…"

"You mean when it's wet and when I don't look like I just get out of a typhoon?" Nea grinned, earning a smile from Allen.

"Yeah, actually," he said with mock rudeness, "it looks good, though."

"I'll remember that when I somehow figure out how to keep it like this," Nea chuckled, roaming over to the bed and sitting on the foot of it. "And don't let Tim eat too much; he'll eat himself sick."

Allen turned back to the cat, booping him on the nose to keep him back from the bag in his lap. "I will. He really likes these though."

"I bet they matched you to because of your cat, Campbell," Link said quietly, and Nea flashed him a stare before melting into another chuckle.

"What? They saw the videos of my fat-ass cat and then looked at Allen's profile and just said 'they're perfect for each other'?"

Link nodded, and Nea broke into more laughter.

"Regardless," Link said with a soft sigh, pulling his eyes from the television playing some foreign television, "it is getting late."

"Bedtime?" Allen looked back at Link, and Link merely nodded. "Awe."

It was interesting that they seemed to even have a routine for this, speaking clearly of the intimacy of their relationship. They disappeared together to ready for bed, and Nea simply set to putting away anything Timcanpy may try to eat or destroy while they're asleep. He also made sure to block any high objects for him to climb onto, and then finally, once that was all done, did he collapse onto the bed with a happy sigh.

As good as his own bed was, sometimes a fancy hotel bed was more refreshing once in a while.

Allen returned first, tugging restlessly at his night shirt. The scene was familiar from the experience of sleeping over with his family, so Nea knew that meant that Allen normally didn't wear shirts to bed, but with how Allen's hand was, he wasn't going to push the man to do something that could make him uncomfortable.

Nea moved to offer more space on the bed, though it was already ridiculously large, and Allen then took up the opposite side after scooping up Timcanpy. It was a relief that they seemed to like each other, the multitude of horror stories of pets not liking their owner's spouse having worried him, but it all seemed fine for now.

When Link came out next, Nea gave him a low whistle just to see him blush and walk faster to tidy up his own things, apparently fussy with their belongings. His hair was free of his braid, falling freely over his shoulders as he bent over to put things into neat piles and put unneeded things away, the slight waves telling Nea just how often he braided it. It was pretty, he thought, though he wasn't going to admit that.

Feeling relaxed, like this was already normal and commonplace, Nea relaxed back against his pillow, sighing softly as he rested his eyes. After a few moments of shuffling, possibly Link finding a space for himself, the lights clicked off and he felt warmth at his side, the bed dipping somewhat beside him.

If he were truly close with Allen already, he would've reached over to pull that warmth closer, but as it stood he was content with how they were. He waited until he felt the urge to actually get under the blankets, opening his eyes and sitting up as he did so.

However, when he did, he spotted Link lying beside him with Allen on his other side.

"Wait, Link?" he asked, almost disbelieving.

Allen answered quietly, though he didn't sound very tired, "I told you, he's sleeping with us."

"But we're newlyweds!" Nea gasped, like it was illegal, but then Link reached up and yanked him back down to his pillows.

"Just go to sleep, Campbell," he said, and Nea pouted.

At least this answered his question over if he was technically married to Link; he was abstaining from the matching system because he was an extension of Allen. Anyone who married Allen, in turn, married his bodyguard.

' _Oh well_ ,' he thought, ' _at least he's cute._ '

The blankets were stifling hot with three people under them, not to mention with a fluffy cat curled up with Allen, apparently liking Nea's husband _too_ much. Nea was the last one to fall asleep, as he couldn't stop pondering just how this would work out.

Just before he fully succumbed to the night, however, Nea decided he was going to need three wedding rings for the group of them.

His mother was going to be _thrilled_.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Sorry for the delay! I tried to get this out on like every holiday after Valentines Day but since I didn't really have a plan for this to be multiple chapters and that it's something way out of my comfort zone (domestic and cuteness oh dear), it's a little difficult for me to write anything I find interesting while keeping true to the original feeling of the first two chapters. I'm having fun, though, and I hope you do, too!**

 **Also, it's Hoshino Sensei's birthday, so it counts as a holiday! (●ↀωↀ●)✧**

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A strange, unfamiliar ceiling met Nea's tired eyes as he blinked them open. It only took a second for him to remember that he was in a hotel room, and with a refreshed groan he slowly tried to roll onto his side, but then paused as he felt something propping up his legs.

Sitting up, he blinked next to him when he saw two men, and in a mild surge of alarm that left his muscles rigid, he remembered the events from the day before.

Tangled together with the sheets all but in disarray, Nea both felt the need to be embarrassed as well as to be amused, and with a slightly quirked smile on his lips he slowly tried to untangle his legs from the sheets. He tried his best not to disturb Link, who had the misfortune of being buried under Nea's legs and Allen's torso, but he didn't seem to mind too much judging by the peaceful look on his face.

In fact, Link looked too similar to Sleeping Beauty to make Nea comfortable.

Timcanpy's head lifted when he noticed Nea trying to escape the confines of the sheets, and with a quiet meow, he got up from where he was snuggled up in the curve of Allen's body. From personal experience, Nea knew that the cat probably herded Allen further and further from his side of the bed, and that thought alone made him snicker.

"Hungry?" he asked quietly, and as Tim meowed in reply, he then moved to get him fed. Better to feed him first than have him beg from Allen. Allen was obviously weak when it came to animals.

As the kibbles fell into the little ceramic bowl, Nea heard the moving of sheets and turned his head to see who was awake. He saw Link attempting to repeat what Nea had with freeing himself, and with an amused smile at Link's messy yet beautiful hair, he turned back to put the bowl down on the countertop for the hungry cat to gobble up.

"Do you normally wake this early?" Link asked, his voice somewhat hoarse from sleep and trying to be quiet.

Nea turned around and leaned against the counter, running his hand through his hair; today's bedhead was terrible, he realized. "No, but I knew if I didn't get up we'd all regret it."

Link's eyes slowly widened as his body stiffened, "What do you mean?"

"Tim," Nea gestured to the cat, and Link, almost in a flood of relief, nodded and sighed. "Don't underestimate a hungry cat, Link, they'll burn your house down for a slice of ham."

"Do you feed your cat ham?" Link asked, slowly getting to his feet. His sweatpants all but draped off his hips, too baggy for his legs, though his shirt was still form fitting, and Nea couldn't help but look at the probably rare sight of Link disheveled.

Nea shrugged, but then moved to make some coffee, making some extra since Link sounded like he needed some. "Yeah, but my brother's worse. Instead of having a dog eat the food he didn't like, he just gave it to Tim."

"That poor cat," Link grimaced.

"Does Allen like coffee?" Nea asked, changing the topic.

The immediate, blunt answer, almost took Nea off his feet. "He prefers dark roasted with cream and only a single spoonful of sugar. He'll say he doesn't prefer any sort of coffee but he drinks this kind faster than he does any other."

"And… what's his favorite drink?" Nea raised an eyebrow.

"Hot water," Link said it with almost a tinge of horror, which was echoed by Nea's puzzled stare.

"Just… hot water? By itself?"

Link nodded.

 _Damn_.

When Timcanpy finished eating, the coffee wasn't done being made yet, and he hopped down from the counter and returned to the bed. Allen was still deeply asleep, the morning sun not coming through the thicker curtains to disturb him. He looked more comfortable by himself, and so Link and Nea left him be as they sat around the kitchenette.

The sound of the coffee machine running water through its system was the only thing to disturb the silence, and with his chin in his hand, Nea almost fell asleep. It was comfortable, the smell of brewing coffee making the room smell warmer than it already was.

"Since he's asleep, let's talk."

Link's voice startled Nea out of the lull he'd fallen into, jolting upright and dropping his arms to the countertop. He blinked at Link, absorbing his words as well as feeling the guilty tug at his chest that appeared whenever someone wanted to speak to him privately.

Swallowing his nerves, he gave a confident smile and nodded. "Let's."

Wasting no time, Link adopted a demeanor fitting that of a government worker, his hands itching for a pen or a pad of paper, but in their absence he put his hands together like he were at an interview or interrogation. "So, as you two are essentially strangers, I'd like to get everyone on the same page in terms of expectations. I'll ask you a series of questions and I want you to answer truthfully."

Giving a strange smile, Nea tilted is head and nodded. "Okay, but aren't you with the government? Wouldn't you already know this?"

"I want to hear it from _you_ ," Link said, "But let's get started. First, your occupation?"

"I'm a musician," Nea said easily, "I write music, though it doesn't really bring in much income in comparison to my family, and sometimes I'm without work when I don't have a client."

Link's fingers twitched; he really wanted to write this down. "Your brother's a hatter?"

"Yeah, my father had a business in clothing until he died. My mother handled it to keep it running, but now my brother designs hats, my cousin designs suits, his daughter got interested in doing dresses and shoes… it's really becoming a family business instead of just my father's," Nea said, reclining in his seat and taking on an almost sentimental tone. "I make whatever I feel like, but I'm not really a big part of the business."

"I see," Link's eyes flicked down to the countertop, like he was looking at a list, "and education?"

"My brother and I went to one of the most prestigious schools… mostly because my uncle insisted we get a decent education."

Link raised an eyebrow. "Your distant family can control you and your mother like that?"

"Well, she agreed with him," Nea shrugged, "and they weren't really distant. We all share the estate." He gave a small smile, "But just for Allen's sake I won't drag you two into that snake pit yet; I don't want to overwhelm you guys."

It was almost like Nea had just alluded to some darker information as Link's eyes flashed, his eyebrows furrowing with intensity. "Overwhelm?"

"I have a big family and we all live in the same house," Nea laughed quietly, "they're all loud and weird and it's isolated. We live in the middle of farmland and the nearest neighbor is miles away; you guys would go crazy if I just took you there now."

"Ah," Link visibly relaxed, and Nea held back the urge to laugh at him. "That makes sense. In that case, Allen has no permanent home, and as I live with him, neither do I. You _do_ have a place outside your family's estate, don't you?"

"Well, if we needed one, one of my family members has a place," Nea got up as he remembered his coffee, quickly pouring two cups, "it's kind of his getaway when family life gets too rough for him."

As Nea returned, Link held up his hand expectantly, and Nea gave him his mug without another word. He rejoined Link at the counter, and they both took a moment to enjoy their coffee before continuing the talk, though it was once again Link who was eager to begin again. He set the mug aside in a professional manner, but Nea kept his in his grasp, taking care to continue sipping it whenever he got a chance.

Expression softened and yet more alert, Link asked, "You don't have a getaway?"

"I have a few secret places in the estate," Nea said almost smugly, "I disappear when I feel like it, and I'm always close by just in case I'm needed. If I truly need to leave, I can just rent a room or even just stay with friends if they're nearby."

That seemed to spark something, "That reminds me… sexual history?"

Oh god.

Nea tried to hold his smile firm. "Yes?"

"What is it?"

"What is what?"

"Campbell," Link's gaze hardened, and Nea felt the guilt prickle in his chest again. Dammit, why did Link's tone sound like his mom's?  
"Well," Nea sighed, reaching up to distract himself by curling his hair around his finger, "I've had a handful of partners in the past…"

"According to my research," Link leaned forward, "you were never on the 'to be married' list."

Clearing his throat, although a little loudly like Allen's presence would make this uncomfortable air go away, Nea tried to make himself relax by moving around his seat. "Yeah, I never really dated, mostly because I just didn't want to. But stress relief…"

"Whore," Allen's voice dragged tiredly from the bed, freezing Nea and Link in place before they turned to look.

The man slowly pulled himself up from the sheets, his hair waving at odd angles, but despite that, his eyes were bright.

If Link was Sleeping Beauty then Allen was something from a risqué French film.

"Good morning, angel," Nea said, grinning when the light from the window caught the ends of Allen's hair, making it look like it was glowing. "How long have you been up?"

"When you said you were a freeloader," Allen murmured, tugging Timcanpy onto his lap. The cat meowed in opposition, but didn't move when he was relocated.

Nea pretended to pout, but it just became a genuine one within moments, "Hey! My cousin's the actual freeloader. He doesn't do anything but go out and gamble; his brother tried to set him up with a girl so he wouldn't get married out of the family and you know what he did instead? He faked his death."

"How'd that work out?" Allen was smiling at the story, his eyes slightly crinkling.

Holding up a finger, Nea got up and rushed to gather up his phone. It only took a simple search to find the newspaper article online, and then he bent over the bed to show the screen to Allen.

Allen stared, but then he smiled a little wider, and then began giggling. "How did he manage _that_?"

"What?" Link sat up, and Nea flashed him a grin.

"My cousin faked his death by blowing up a building. Of course he got out without a scratch, somehow managed to replace his body with some roadkill, convinced half his friends that he died… but then got found out by the cops when they caught him at our house."

Link's expression held notes of bafflement but also like he was trying to figure out if Nea was as dangerously impulsive as the story implied his family to be, but Nea couldn't help but continue giggling.

"If you're wondering; he didn't get matched because he was deemed dangerously drastic and a possible threat to himself and his future family."

"Dammit," Allen whispered quietly, "why didn't I think of that?"

Nea would've been offended if Link hadn't shouted, "You _did_! I _stopped you_!"

"Oh yeah."

That single conversation convinced Nea that they'd fit in terrifyingly well with the rest of his family. The thought was both comforting and yet horrifying.

Perfect.

"Well, speaking of family," Nea poured another cup of coffee and put it together with what he remembered from Link's specifications, handing it to Allen and being careful of Timcanpy, "my mother actually wanted to meet you, Allen. Said we could meet her at the mall later; how about it?"

Allen grew still, the mug in his hands as he took a slow sip to give him time to think. There was no real answer other than 'yes' in this situation, but it was only after a few moments did Allen seem to realize this. Pulling the rim of his mug from his lips, he gave a nod before breaking into a delicate smile. "A-Ah… I guess I'll have to apologize for the wedding…"

Nea pursed his lips. "Apologize for getting married to me or apologize for the _scene_?"

Allen's smile didn't budge. "The scene."

From the counter, Link gave a sigh before brushing his loose hair back over his shoulder, the glint of gold catching Nea and Allen's attention. "I'll need to explain our relationship, as well. From what we've heard of about _your_ family, though, Campbell, your mother won't bat an eye."

"Probably not, but she'll probably be cautious about introducing you two to the rest of them. Speaking of," Nea checked his phone for the time, "we should meet her for lunch. She said she wanted to do something with us, so we should be getting ready."

"Do we have anything to make breakfast with?" Link asked, and Nea glanced back at Allen.

"We could order in…"

Oddly enough, while Link drove them to the mall, Allen never seemed to fully relax. At first, it was a little humorous to see Allen be so anxious, Nea passing several glances Allen's way, but soon he began to get worried and the amusement began to die. Why was Allen so nervous? Had Nea gotten him scared about meeting his mom?

Oh well, he'd meet her and it'd all be settled soon, Nea reassured himself.

When they parked the car on the street, Nea began to notice as Allen and Link began to get fidgety and progressively more unsure the closer they got to the building. It seemed to even out as they entered, but the tension and anxiety in the air was still thick. It was a high-end mall, with more expensive stores and big name brands, which made Nea pause to wonder what sort of lifestyle these two were used to.

Oh well, they'd grow used it, hopefully, and maybe come to like it.

Eventually, Nea spotted his mother looking through a store's display window, seeming torn between going inside and waiting, and so Nea solved the problem for her by calling out and waving. He saw her turn, eyes blinking rapidly, but then a wide smile spread across her face.

She met them halfway, but walked right past Nea to take ahold of Allen's hands.

"Oh my, you're even cuter up close!" she gushed over Allen, ignoring her own son's sulk behind her shoulder.

At once, Allen was blushing, and he shuffled in an awkward silent battle of whether he should flee or persevere. He gave a shy smile after a moment, bunching up his shoulders in such a humbling cute way that it made Nea want to gag. "Thank you?"

Allen's questioning tone made Nea's mother laugh, and she eagerly brought their hands up, close to their hearts. "It's a pleasure to meet you; I'm Katerina Campbell, Nea's mother," she introduced herself, and Allen visibly relaxed.

"It's nice to meet you, too. I'm Allen Walker, and this is Link, my bodyguard."

"Bodyguard?" Katerina's eyes went wide.

At once, Link explained, "I'm more of a resident parole officer," he explained, though even that needed further explanation. "I'm just here to spectate and make sure he doesn't end up in trouble, but he's accident prone and attracts it like nobody I've ever seen."

For a moment, Nea half-expected his mother to be appalled or even panicked, but she merely sighed and suddenly had a look of exhaustion. "He's perfect for Nea, then… they both have terrible a knack for finding trouble."

"Hey!" Nea cried out, and it was Allen's turn to giggle.

"Now," Katerina said before she turned around, "where is Mana?"

"Mana's here?" Nea perked up at once, forgetting his past offense.

Katerina gave him a dry look with flat eyes and her lips pursed, but then she snorted. "Of course he is. You don't think your brother wouldn't come to meet his new in-laws?"

Nea pursed his lips in almost perfect mimicry. "Well, you only said _you_ were coming."

"Since when do I go out alone?"

"Is that him?" Link raised an eyebrow as he looked off to the side, their eyes following his gaze to catch a man looking particularly lost.

With an amused but also exasperated sigh, Katerina nodded. "Yes, it is. Mana!"

The man's head whipped around, and he immediately beamed before rushing over. "I came back and couldn't find you! I thought you wandered off!"

"I wouldn't wander off without you!" Katerina said, her laughter caught between being genuine and tired.

Then, Mana turned to Nea and all but bubbled, "So, Nea, how's it like being a married man?"

"How's it like knowing you're next?" Nea said teasingly, but then beamed. "Lively, entertaining, not what I expected." He then turned and pulled Allen next to him, "This is him, by the way. Allen, this is my brother Mana."

"We're twins," Mana added on, and eagerly shook Allen's hand. "With us two and our cousin Tyki, it's kind of a nightmare to tell us apart."

Allen didn't look pleased. "How many of you are there?"

"A lot," all the Campbells said at once, all smiling.

Allen shot Link a 'help me' look but Link didn't budge, so Nea took the initiative. "So, mom, where did you want to go?"

She brightened and started back to where Nea had first seen her, looking over her shoulder to beckon the rest of them to follow. "I have an idea, but let's look through here first, okay?" She broke into another giggle, "I'm sorry boys, I know you probably don't want to go clothes shopping."

"No, it's fine," Mana said immediately.

"I don't mind," Nea said afterwards.

"I was talking to the boys who may not be as interested in clothes as you two," Katerina flatlined, only to smile back at Allen and Link. "You know, before the wedding, I didn't know what to expect! People argued over if Nea would have a bride or a groom."

Link snorted. "They probably weren't expecting a groom to be chained to the altar."

"Link!" Allen whined immediately, somewhat hushed like it was an embarrassing topic.

That brought about an almost uneasy air down over them, which seemed to only be broken when they entered the store and had muted music playing over their heads.

Finally, Katerina was brave enough to ask, "What was that all about, by the way?"

Allen looked five shades of ashamed as Link explained. "Walker is talented at disappearing to the point that he could put a magician to shame. As I'm his legal… _guardian_ , I guess you could say, I had to ensure he didn't leave before he was officially married." He then sent Allen a dark look, "And for personal reasons I'm making sure he _stays_."

"You say that like I'm actively trying to run away," Allen wheezed, almost like he was being physically punished.

"May I remind you of what you tried to do the night before the wedding?!" Link snapped, and Nea found himself snickering for the sheer fact that he hadn't seen Link so angry before.

Maybe Link's level-headedness didn't run as deep as Nea thought.

At the concerned look from his mother, Nea gave a reassuring, quiet laugh. "I said it was lively, didn't I? I'm sure once things settle down it'll be fine."

Katerina merely stared at him for a moment, as though weeding through his expression to see if it was genuine, before she gave a small smile and turned towards a rack of clothes she began to pick through. "Well, if you say so. I'm happy Link is there, then." She turned her head towards the blonde man, "By the way, Link, what's your last name?"

For the briefest moment, Link looked almost too confused to respond, but Allen jumped in to save him.

"Oh, that's his last name! His full name is Howard Link, but everyone just calls him-mmph!"

Link's hand was over his face, but his expression was barely terse. "I insist everyone calls me Link."

However, Nea was suddenly grinning, and Link gave him a dark and threatening glare that required no spoken words to accompany it.

"Wow, Nea," Mana murmured quietly as he caught the glare, "your in-laws are scary."

Allen and Nea didn't bother to hide their laughter, and Katerina only hid hers out of politeness. Mana, on the other hand, was intelligently hiding behind Nea while Link seemed prepared to glower Mana to death.

They weren't in the store for much longer before Katerina picked out the dress she wanted and paid for it, then with the stride and dignity of a high-class woman she led them through the mall, filling them in on the latest uproar about Nea's wedding that left the man rolling his eyes and Allen waiting with barely restrained shock.

"Jasdero and Devit were the worst ones, spreading every rumor they could to make a scandal. Of course, barely anyone listened, but then the family would tell the two boys something else and make them genuinely panic over your new husband," Katerina said, her smile a little strained. "Tyki is fully convinced Allen's a swindler or a serial killer, and Road is convinced that he's an _escort_ of all things."

Nea sputtered harshly, along with Link behind them, leaving Mana looking between them and Allen sulking.

"Not too far off…" Link grumbled under his breath, and Allen held up his fist before dropping it.

Seeing the genuine threat between the two men, Nea barely chanced smiling before he looked forward to spot an assortment of displays in the store they walked into. The glass of the displays inside shined to the point of nearly obscuring the glimmer of jewelry inside them.

"What is…" he blinked around the space, before he caught his mother's witty smirk. "Mom, did you take us to pick out rings?"

Katerina only giggled and waltzed into the store, Nea looking back to see Allen blushing and Link standing stoically at his side. Giving a small smile, Nea reached back and tugged Allen forward by his hand before shooting him a grin.

"I was already thinking about this, so may as well take her up on her invitation, right?" he asked him.

After a brief hesitation, Allen smiled softly before tucking his hair behind his ear. "Yeah, though I feel it's a little wasted on me." When he seemed to notice Nea's confused stare, he rubbed his fingers and thumb together, "My gloves will cover the ring, too."

"That's fine, it's not too crazy big of deal," Nea shrugged, "plus we don't have to get diamonds if you're worried about the price. I'm not too crazy for them anyway."

Allen gave a relieved sigh. "Thank god…"

Nea gave a short laugh, but then followed Katerina to the display she was overlooking. "Please don't tell me you're shopping _for_ us, mom."

"Hush now!" Katerina said with a smirk, though she stepped to the side. "It's not that; I wasn't able to look at wedding rings before the two of you were born, so let me have this, okay? You don't have to buy what I pick."

"Sure, sure," Nea hummed, but then tugged Allen even closer to get a better look of the display, as well as making him squirm by getting them as close as possible. "So, Allen, see anything you like?"

"A nice empty space for me to stand in," Allen grumbled, trying to pull himself free, though obviously not using even half of his strength and fighting off an amused smile. "Um… I'm not sure… that one?"

"Oh, the blue topaz?" Nea smiled, relaxing some of his grip on Allen. "Yeah, that's nice."

Allen's eyes slid to the other side of the display. "Or the red one?"

"Rubies?"

His tone summoned Allen's attention to turn towards him, a slight wrinkle in his nose. "Are you judging my taste in stones or just trying to make me feel poor?"

Nea's eyes widened. "No?"

Unintentionally, Mana slid in by Nea and held out his hand to show the several rings he had on, "Hey, Nea, look at what I found."

They both looked to see the rings in the shape of Pac-man chasing several yellow circles on thinner rings. Nea bloomed into a snicker, while Allen only tilted his head to the side, though he also cracked into a slightly confused smile after a moment.

"Mana, dear," Katerina leaned over him, "are you offering that as a wedding ring or are you distracting them?"

"It's fine, Mrs. Campbell," Allen finally bubbled, like he just barely recognized the theme of the rings Mana had on.

Katerina's smile waned, "Just Miss, actually. I was never married."

Allen locked up with an 'oh', but Katerina only brightened again and giggled.

"It's fine, it's fine! It's a common mistake with my boys," she reassured him, but then looked at Mana's other hand. "Oh, dear, what is that?"

Mana held up his other hand, balled up to show the rings. "Shish kabobs."

Nea sputtered and tugged Allen to the other side of the display in order to get away from Mana's jokes. "C'mon. Mana will find every strange ring he can and probably buy them all if we don't hurry."

Allen followed behind him, laughing quietly and staring back at the kabob rings like he wanted them. "I mean… do they even sell those here?"

That made Nea pause, and he gasped and looked back. "Did he seriously run to another store for those?" he asked himself just before rolling his eyes and laughing it off. "Do you know anything about stones, actually?"

"Not much," Allen said quietly, "I mean… I know what colors some of them are, but not much beyond that."

Nea responded to that with a hum before he dragged his eyes through the display. "Then, what color do you want?"

"I don't mind what as long as it's not white," Allen answered quickly, and Nea shot him a glance, which was answered with another wrinkle of his nose. "I mean… I'm pale enough… and red probably wouldn't be good, either…"

Not wanting Allen to get uncomfortable, Nea softened his expression and nodded understandably. "Then you don't mind if I pick the color?"

"You could pick the entire thing, honestly," Allen said back, "though I may veto some choices."

That brought about a small chuckle from Nea. "Fair enough. Then…" he thought for a moment, but then perked up and straightened, "well, how about amber, then?"

Allen squinted, "The… dinosaur thing?"

"Noooo," Nea shook his head and took Allen around until they found a display of golden-orange stones. "Fossilized tree-sap… it's gorgeous."

Allen stared at the assortment for a moment before he giggled. "It matches your eyes, doesn't it?"

"Ulterior motive," Nea smirked.

"Narcissist."

"You're the one who said I could pick the stone."

Allen rolled his eyes, but then he looked through the assortment of the amber before he pointed at one. "Is that one's band silver?" Nea nodded. "Then that one."

"The one with three stones?" Nea looked up at him only to see Allen smiling innocently.

"Yeah, it looks nice."

A spark of an idea popped into Nea's head, and he beamed. "Then that one it is! We'll get three of them."

Instead of confusion, Allen only glittered. "I'm glad you caught on to my plan."

The rings weren't as expensive as a traditional diamond ring, but that wasn't a bad thing. Katerina fawned over the rings and eagerly pushed Nea and Allen to put them on. Allen froze up when he realized he would have to take off his left glove, but Nea was quick to intervene.

"Oh, he's got mysophobia! Taking off his gloves makes him extremely uneasy," he hurried out, and at once, Katerina was gasping.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Allen! I didn't know!"

Allen blinked, but broke into a sheepish smile. "It's fine! I-I'm fine as long as my gloves are on."

"Perfectly understandable," Katerina nodded, almost determined. "If you need anything, please tell me! I'll accommodate you in any way I can to make sure you're comfortable, okay?"

Allen nodded vigorously, and with that, Nea felt the need to progress past this.

"So, what else can we do?" Nea chirped happily. "Lunch? Movie? Clothes shopping? Odds and ends? I, myself, could go for buying Timcanpy a new toy."

Mana lightly bumped into Nea. "I, myself, would like to look for some inspiration for a new selection of hats."

That left Katerina huffing. "No, no working!" She then smiled at Allen, "We're here to get to know Nea's lovely husband, so what does he want to do?"

There wasn't a moment's hesitation despite the adorable smile on Allen's face. "Lunch."

Link and Nea groaned quietly.

Fortunately, Allen picked someplace in the mall that offered Chinese food and luckily supplied cheaply made chopsticks. He slipped the ring on when Katerina had turned away, but then quickly slid his gloves back on. Without needing to remove them to eat, Allen was happily and comfortably getting along with Katerina, his left hand hidden beneath cotton. Mana, not being very good at initiating conversation, found himself in mild chatter with Link, while Nea bounced back and forth between their stories. Despite what Link and Nea knew of Allen's appetite, he only ordered a single meal (albeit large) for himself, relieving the worry of scaring Katerina or Mana.

He made a mental note to make his appreciation for it noticeable.

But, as that was all they set out to do, they merely spent the rest of the afternoon visiting multiple stores throughout the mall. Clothing stores attracted Mana, anything regarding books or music drawing Nea, and Katerina was happy to go into anything.

Allen, himself, didn't seem to know what he was interested in, so he followed suit to whatever the rest of them were doing.

When it felt as though they used up all of their selections, Katerina smiled gently before pulling Allen in for a small, friendly hug after making sure he was comfortable with it. He blushed again, the shyness on his face making Nea snicker, but then Katerina was turned towards him and talking excitedly.

"Oh, if you want somewhere else to go that'll be easier on you, ask Tyki if you can borrow his flat! He's home for work so he won't be using it, and it's been cleaned up so it should be just fine."

The prospect of going somewhere that wasn't a hotel was tantalizing, and Nea was already reaching for his phone. "God, I will. The hotel barely fits us all and the kitchen _sucks_."

"We definitely need more room and a way to feed us all cheaply," Link said, though it was plainly obvious that he was just as relieved at the prospect of a bigger place to stay as Nea. "Also, having more beds would be just short of a blessing."

Surprisingly, Allen didn't seem too moved at the idea, merely humming in agreement.

Mana chuckled and patted Nea on the shoulders, "I'll make sure to drop by, then! Don't get into too much trouble, though!"

Nea scoffed, "As though I could get into more trouble than Tyki."

At the looks he was given by everyone but Allen, the boy began to snicker quietly, covering his mouth as though to save Nea's dignity, though not hard enough to actually stop laughing.

"Hey!"

By the time they all left for home, the sun was barely starting to descend, the sky still bright blue and the air still pleasantly warm. The moment they were away from the mall, Nea called Tyki to ensnare his flat for the next plot of time, eagerly grinning when Tyki begrudgingly gave him permission.

" _Don't mess with my cards, Nea, they're all set up how I want them to be,_ " was the only warning Tyki gave him, so it couldn't be too bad.

He slipped his phone back into his pocket with an eager smile, turning to tell the others with a gleeful amount of grinning and eagerness, leading to Allen and Link both seeming to immediately relax at the prospect of having a _house_. Link told them to remember to pack that night instead of the next day, which was when Link had apparently decided they were moving. Nea found himself smirking at how Link, an unknowing part of this relationship, was already fulfilling his role as a dutiful and responsible spouse.

"Alright, babe," Nea jokingly said, only to have Link grumbling unhappily at the nickname.

However, beside Nea, Allen was snickering.

It grew quiet as they pulled up to the hotel, and Nea slipped the third ring to Allen before exiting the car, shortly followed by the other two. None spoke, all probably exhausted from a day of socializing, but it was comfortable. Allen ended up lightly and gingerly holding Nea's pinky with his pointer finger, and Nea tried to ignore his embarrassment that the tiny gesture was making his heartbeat just a tad more noticeable than it had been before.

Inside the hotel's lobby there were a few families coming in for the weekend, and the Nea made them hurry past them to the elevators so they could have it to themselves. When they finally reached their room, Nea let himself in first to suffer the barrage of meowing from Timcanpy, already turned and shimmying towards his food dish, though his head was craned back to make sure Nea followed.

As he filled the cat's bowl, he saw the other two find their places in the room, only for Allen to initiate some conversation with Link.

"Ah, I can't wait to go to the house!" Allen said softly, "I can't remember the last time we stayed somewhere we didn't have to pay for! I won't have to wake up to Cross or anyone reacting _to_ Cross! It's going to be amazing!"

He was singing praises, his hands finding Link's to play with, and while Link seemed like he wanted to go start packing, he nonetheless paused to allow Allen to toy with him. Despite his stern expression, Nea saw the softness behind it, a disgusting mess of repressed affection that was begging to be drawn out.

When Allen seemed to have his fill of this game, he retreated to go gather up his own things, only for Link to glance down at his hands.

His eyes shot wide open.

"Don't put your ring on me!" Link shouted, his cheeks bright red.

Allen slipped off his glove, revealing the ring on his finger, appearing perfectly at ease showing it to Link. On his ring finger, the amber glittered beautifully, and the sight of it froze Link on sight. "I'm _wearing_ my ring, Link. That one's yours!"

Link was still paused, but then he turned his head towards Nea, only for Nea to smile and also hold up his left hand.

"I got mine, too, Howard."

Allen snickered, and Link was at a loss for words for a moment before looking at the ring on his finger, like as though trying to put together that there were more than two rings. After a while, his eyebrows pulled together, almost looking concerned, and Allen began to laugh a little harder.

As though that broke the spell, Link looked up to Allen with an embarrassed scowl. "Don't use your sleight of hand on me!"

"It matches your _eyes_ , Link!" Allen chirped, and Nea realized that Link had an amazing amount of self-control when he seemed to twitch towards something that he appeared to apparently want to want to throw.

Not wanting to risk his own life to get chummy with Link, Nea merely kept a safe distance and chuckled quietly, half to himself. "Your part of this relationship, Link, which means you get a ring," he said cheerily, though his words seemed to make Link blush all the way down his neck. "We already shared a bed on the honeymoon and I'm whisking both of you away to a private house to get to know you, so it's only logical."

Link sucked in a trembling breath, "Campbell…"

"Yeah?"

"Go pack your things before I stuff you in a suitcase."

* * *

Sorry for the delay, again! Thank you so much for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:** **WOW I let this go way too long without an update! a It doesn't help that I actually had my computer die on me so I lost literally everything I've worked on... but I'm happy I finally got something that I'm happy with.**

* * *

The rocky ledge beside the road gave way to a pristine blue sea. The water beneath them crashed against the jagged shoreline in such a way that it was mesmerizing in how picturesque and film-like it moved. The sight of how the dark blue water bowled over the rocks kept Nea from looking away, continuing to spectate from the passenger seat of a rental car.

Beside him in the driver's seat, Link had both hands on the wheel, staring forward like this was his job as chauffeur. Before, he even pushed for Nea to sit in the back, but after the awkwardness that was their wedding day, Nea didn't want to relive the strange feeling of being a child in the back of an adult's car again. Allen, though, didn't seem to mind, and he kept rolling up and down the window like a little kid.

Nea didn't mind either way, though the changing breezes that tousled his hair in different ways was a little bothersome.

The radio was nearly silent, just there enough to be heard, even if not clearly through the bustling of the wind that clouded over everything. With nothing to really listen to, though, the lack of talking was starting to get weird. It had started off comfortable, but for some reason while driving the feeling had shifted, and even the occasional asking for directions was starting to feel offensive.

The waves outside at least provided a good distraction and a good conversation topic. "Wow, Tyki really picked a nice place to drive to. This is better than the place I picked for the honeymoon."

Only Link gave a hum, and Nea's smile strained.

"You know, this area used to be pretty shady. The city didn't want to fund its upkeep, and everyone wasn't paid well, so it became a hustler's den." He caught Allen lifting his head in the backseat. "But, suddenly the taxes went through the roof, and the city redid everything and replaced almost all the stores to be organic or something, so now it's every new-age young parents' dream."

Allen leaned around to see around Nea, and so Nea twisted around so they could see each other. "Is there still a dark underbelly or something? That stuff doesn't go away easily…"

Nea shrugged. "Probably, but Tyki would be the one to know."

"Your… _Tyki¸_ was living here before the reconstruction?" Link asked, and Nea nodded.

"He's my cousin, and yes. Since he's got the family's money, he could pay the extra fees and get his house redone so it'd fit the new code and standards, but he was amazingly pissed about it. I don't think I ever heard him complain more about anything."

Surprisingly, Allen gave an amused laugh. "Your cousin sounds fun…"

"Hey, don't say that so soon. He's a real ass," Nea interjected. "We're lucky that he apparently hasn't been to his flat in some time so it's actually clean."

Immediately, Link looked uncomfortable. "Anything to worry about once we get there?"

"There's a fifty percent chance that Tyki doesn't have a spare key hidden."

Link gave a small sigh, but that was enough to keep the atmosphere light. Nea relaxed back into his seat as Allen became a little too quiet, the insistent window-movement suddenly ceasing altogether.

Things returned to silence, but it was much better. As the road began to pull more inland, it replaced the wonderful view with trees and tamed grasses, and Nea began searching for the ironwork sign that would signify them arriving to the city.

As he looked for it, though, Link seemed to find a new topic of interest.

The blond breathed in with significance before starting off with, "Campbell…"

"Nea."

" _Campbell_ ," Link reiterated, "I know it may be a bit early to bring this up, but the earlier it is discussed, the easier it will be to handle in the future."

Not liking the sound of this, particularly after what Link brought up the last time they thought they were alone, Nea decided to be genuine and avoid smiling, instead sending Link a tentative smile. "Oh?"

"As you may have realized, you are in a relationship with a man," Link began, "and as such, there are certain things that are impossible."

Nea grimaced. "Link…"

"If things were different, blood-children would be possible…"

"Link, no…"

"However," Link said loudly to combat Nea's interruptions, "in the lieu of the three of us being men, if you have any prospect of having children, thinking about it now and thinking about the options of surrogacy and adoption will make the process smoother later."

Nea's mind reeled, mostly from just how out of the blue the topic was. Was Link just thinking about this on the drive? Or maybe longer? He was so concerned for the two of them that Nea was suddenly baffled as to what Allen meant to Link to make him so considerate. He hadn't fully grasped their relationship yet, but even this almost seemed…

"Link, you said the three of us," Allen chimed, having switched sides of the car to be behind Link, his arms crossed over the back of the blonde's seat. "You included yourself in that prospect."

Nea stared for a moment, but then melted into a grin. "Wait… you totally did."

Almost immediately, Link's fingers tightened around the wheel, his face flushing red with embarrassment. "Of course… I'm here to keep Walker out of trouble and accompany him, as I have for several years. It's only natural at this point that if things were different and I was the only one able to…"

"It's okay, Link, I know how you are," Allen somehow _purred_. His voice was sultry and soothing, but from the close proximity, Nea saw the chill run up Link's spine.

Even though it was dangerous as Link was driving and getting so flustered, Nea couldn't help but continue with a small glance to Link's hands, finding the striking amber on Link's left hand, even if it was on a different finger. "You're even wearing your ring, Link, that's testament enough to how much you care."

At once, the blush flooded down Link's neck, his left hand leaving the wheel to hide on his lap, the movement accompanied and followed by Allen caught between cooing and laughing.

"Aww, Link…"

"Return to your seat," Link said shakily, but that prompted Nea to realize something.

"Wait, Allen, why aren't you wearing your seatbelt?"

Like a fire alarm going off, Link snapped out of his embarrassment and went into full-on parent-mode, and Nea regretted ever calling attention to Allen as the tides were turned with Link barking back at Allen in a barrage of, "What the hell are you doing?! Just because the road isn't busy means you can be careless! What if something happens?!"

With Allen buckled in and Timcanpy flopped on his lap after being disturbed by the yelling, they continued the trip in silence until they found the ironwork sign.

It arched across the road, and was one of the last remaining things from the city before it was reworked to be more accessible to the middle-class families that wanted the beach-access. The black iron had been rusted to greys and reds from the rain and humidity, but it still stood tall and elegantly, reading the name of the city in big curling letters crafted by an expert metalworker.

It was almost nostalgic driving past the sign, as Tyki had lived here for quite some time. The man was older than Nea by only a few years, but Tyki was also eager to leave the family early. Even before he owned property in the city, Tyki had friends who did, and so Nea had been visiting the city for years, always greeted by that sign, even when the familiar streets were suddenly transformed into something so alien and foreign.

Nea gave simple directions through the strangely pristine streets. The buildings looked crafted specifically to look like an amusement park, and all the landscaping exemplified the point, even if a lot of the architecture was leftover from the old city.

Tyki's flat was near the center of the city, and Nea still felt uncomfortable seeing the new work that had been done on it. Before, the trees were all overgrown, the sidewalks cracked and lifted into dangerous steps where they should be flat. The windows were either covered or blacked out, and every house had been slightly faded from age and wear, but never enough for them to be unlivable or at risk of collapse.

At least now, even after all the renovations, Tyki's house looked just enough of a mess to be obviously his, from the darker and more morose paintjob to how half of the windows were blocked with various paraphernalia. The fence around the lot was even slightly bigger and harder to see through than most of the other houses, actually meant to be a usable barrier instead of a photogenic addition to the lot.

The random junk littered in the lot absolutely told the neighbors, too, that Tyki wasn't willingly giving in to the city's aesthetic-oriented codes.

"Nice place," Link said as they climbed out of the car, staring up at the flat with genuine ease.

Nea snorted, following suit with a slight smirk at what he knew. "You should have seen it when Eez got Tyki to paint some of it firetruck red."

Allen gave a small snicker, but with Timcanpy being carried in his arms, they passed the gate and climbed the few concrete steps to the front door. Nea looked in the obvious spots for the spare key, not finding it under the matt or in the plants, but then moved to check a cheap plastic statue that Tyki had for unspoken reasons.

It was made to resemble one of the classical Roman statues, being a woman in flowing robes with one hand over her heart and the other poised upwards like she was accepting something being given to her, all while she was facing the opposite direction. It was corny and strange, exactly something that suited Tyki's place, but Nea still had to wonder _why_ and _how_ he got it, because Nea knew that Tyki would have never bought it willingly.

After checking her hand and some of the deeper folds in the plastic, Nea figured that the keys had just not been left out, and with a sigh, he climbed back onto the steps and pulled out his phone.

"Sorry, guys, I guess my cousin's a dick," he muttered, but before he could even find Tyki's contact information in his phone, suddenly Allen was pushing Timcanpy into his arms, making Nea almost stumble back with a confused blink. "Um…?"

"Give me two seconds, and stand behind me," Allen said with a wide grin, but as soon as Nea and Link followed what he said, Allen dropped to his knees in front of the door and held out his hand to Link, accepting a few hairpins that were silently handed over. With those, Allen began to fiddle with the lock with a shocking amount of ease.

Nea's eyes went huge. "Allen?!"

Link only offered a small chuff of amusement. "Don't worry, he's not a thief."

"I was just going to ask _why_ he can pick locks, but okay…" Nea shifted Timcanpy in his grasp as the fat cat began to squirm.

Allen only hummed cheerfully as he tweaked the pins. "I learned how when I was little because I thought it would make girls like me…"

"And?"

"I didn't realize that I didn't really like girls back then, and it got me into trouble, but nowadays people think it's pretty cool. What sucks is that the only times I get to use it is when my friends are already around."

Nea wasn't following. "And why does that sound like a bad thing?"

"Because they already know how dumb I am," Allen almost laughed, being careful of the stability of his hands. "I had to pick the lock at my job once, and my friend walked by and basically made fun of me for it."

Every time Allen stopped talking, Nea felt like there were even more unanswered questions than there were answers. "Why would they make fun of you? I thought that was cool."

"Because I'm a glutton and I worked at a restaurant."

"Oh," Nea simply said, but then with a resounding click, Allen bounced up to his feet with a small cheer.

"Yes! Okay, we're good to go," he said brightly, turning to face Nea with a wide grin. "But we should figure out a key before we leave… I don't want to risk getting the cops called on us for repeatedly picking the locks."

At that, Nea turned to Link. "Do you have a badge or something to get us out of trouble?"

"They'll have to call my employer if it comes to that," Link sighed. "It's happened before, but they don't have badges for babysitters."

Nea wasn't even going to ask, particularly when Allen was immediately huffy about it, and instead hurriedly stepped into the flat so he could finally put down Timcanpy. The cat's weight made it feel like all the blood had been ciphered from his arms. "Well, at least police being here would be normal for Tyki."

The other two followed and quickly looked around, taking in the sparse but rather nice furniture, as well as the array of ashtrays on almost every shelf or table. Everything looked in good shape, not even bearing any suspicious stains on any of the carpet, so that left Nea sighing with relief as he gently tossed Timcanpy down, letting the cat immediately start prowling around the flat to familiarize himself.

As Nea straightened himself, he spotted a set of keys on the countertop.

"Goddammit, Tyki," he muttered, but picking them up, he turned to the others and waved them. "I found the keys."

Link didn't miss a beat. "Are you related to him by blood by any chance?"

Nea tossed the keys at him with a dry, "Strange, I get asked that about everyone in my family," before starting towards the door. "Come on, let's get our stuff in here so we can relax. That drive was awful."

"I thought it was rather enlightening," Allen said, a sly grin on his face that only grew when he turned to face Link. "Wouldn't you agree, Link?"

Link hurried away from the topic of conversation with the return of his blush, and Nea let him escape.

After bringing in all of their luggage – which in all honesty wasn't much – Nea led them all upstairs to the bedrooms. Just from experience, the basement was off-limits, so it left them all with the main floor and the two stories above, though there were only three bedrooms in the flat, and one was also off-limits as it was Tyki's.

Dreading the idea of Link or Allen asking, Nea put it off for now and instead opened the first bedroom door, being entirely grateful that it was spotless.

"So, here's bedroom number one. It's the full bed, but I think the other room only has a twin."

Allen gave a small unpleasant sound. "I thought you guys were rich…"

"We are, but Tyki doesn't care much about that stuff," Nea said easily, giving a loose shrug of his shoulders. "He's only about what makes him happy, which in all honesty is rather admirable until you come to realize the stuff that _does_ makes him happy."

"… should we be concerned?" Link asked, and Nea shook his head.

"He's mostly harmless, he's just annoying when he's pulling something," Nea said, though he turned to continue to the other room. "I'll go drop my stuff into my room, then, and maybe we should run to the grocery store. It'll be better if the house is stocked now rather than later, and we can check out the town, too."

There was a brief moment's pause where Link and Allen were staring at him, and Nea only frowned before asking, "What?"

Allen and Link turned to each other for a moment, with Link turning back first and taking the lead.

"We merely figured that we would be continuing the arrangement from before," Link answered, his tone almost like he was translating or clarifying something that Allen already said, rather than something he himself was saying. "After all, it's rather… odd, that the married couple wouldn't be together when they have the chance."

Nea blinked owlishly before turning to Allen. "Um..?"

Allen shrugged. "I didn't mind cramming into a bed; I'm actually quite used to stuff like that. You don't have to sleep alone if you don't want to."

This still felt oddly… strange. There were certainly the expectations, but Nea would have never figured that Allen or Link would care about something like that. He figured that the second they got the chance to be alone, they would have taken it.

"But we're… still sort of strangers," Nea said slowly, cocking his head to the side. "Are you sure?"

At that, Allen gave a warm smile. "Yeah! The last few nights haven't been bad at all, so I see no reason to split us all up." He turned to Link, still with that glimmering look on his face. "Even you slept well trapped between us, Link. I think you like sharing."

Link frowned, but there was a tint to his cheeks as he jerked his head away. " _You two_ are the married couple. You may share, I will take the extra bed."

"Awe, Link!" Allen cried, immediately dropping his bags without a single care before taking Link's hand. "Please don't! Just because I'm married doesn't mean I have to kick you out of our bedding arrangements! You won't be left out!"

Even more embarrassed, Link pulled away and began fleeing down the hall. "Campbell, guide me, please."

Nea was entirely shocked, but casting quick glances between the two, Nea eventually trotted after Link, only having to show him to the room just down the hall. "Uh… right, it's just… right here…"

"Link..!"

Despite his best efforts, Link refused to move his things from the twin-room, leaving Nea feeling like he was stuck between them, even when the topic was dropped.

Definitely whatever was between Link and Allen wasn't one-sided, and while that made Nea happy because they had each other, it also made him rather… uncomfortable. It felt like _he_ was the one infringing on an already established relationship, even when everything he saw only spoke of a fantastic and goodhearted friendship.

As they exited the flat to walk down to the store, it felt almost like a relief. The lack of stagnant air also kept everything from feeling stuck in the awkward limbo, though Nea felt almost rude to talk to them now, like he was hurting _them_.

"So is the beach any good?" Allen asked, a perfectly fine smile on his lips, even if he had been borderline sulking for almost ten minutes before.

Nea put on a fine smile. "Yeah, it's decent. Not much of it, and it's kind of hard to get to, and the water's cold, but what can you do?"

Link didn't seem too accepting of the qualifications. "I… don't see how that makes the beach any good."

"It's fun when it's sunny out like this," Nea said. "Before, the beach used to be littered with a bunch of junk, but since the city's been picking it up, it's night and day in comparison."

"You sound like you've been here a lot for someone who doesn't live here," Allen mused.

Shrugging, Nea then took the time to stretch his arms above his head. Despite getting mostly settled in, the drive was exhausting and made him desperate to take up space. "I came here a lot to visit my cousin. He often refused to go home with us, so my mother and his brother would pile in a car with me, Mana, and his niece Road to show up at his doorstep and pester him in person. He hated it more than us making phone calls, so he always had to back with us when we did that."

There was a strange little smile on Allen's lips as he asked, "Why didn't he just pretend not to be there?"

"Because this was a dangerous neighborhood and our family is full of death seekers," Nea chuckled, fondly remembering how his mother looked so upset standing on the steps of the flat that people actually crossed the street to avoid her and her three apparent kids.

However, when Nea looked back, he saw Link looking anything but fond.

"Eh, but it's cleaned up, though. Tyki actually complains now that there's nobody fun to play with around here," he tried to comfort the man, though Link just sighed and turned away.

Allen gave a small chuckle. "He'll need some convincing, unfortunately."

"Then how about this," Nea said before gesturing at the store they were going to be entering soon, at the end of the street and with big glowing green and white letters and ridable children's rides outside the front doors. It was the epidemy of upper class living without all the manipulation and deceit, and Link only looked remotely satisfied by the look of it.

"… Will they have a lot of things to pick from for Allen's appetite?"

Despite Allen whining at being picked on, Nea gave a small shrug.

"I don't know. I've actually never really been shopping down here, so it'll be an adventure for all of us."

"Seriously?" Link muttered, but Nea just ran ahead with Allen.

The inside of the store was only slightly less humid, a little more forcefully airconditioned, but at least it was clean. As they grabbed a cart and started towards the produce, though, Link was already choking on his tongue at the prices, Allen also becoming a little pale.

"Wh… why is it so…"

"Expensive?" Nea finished for them before reaching to grab the nearest pack of instant mixes for some sort of fruit shake into the cart. It was his honeymoon, so he could buy whatever garbage he wanted. "It's a rich people store, guys. Also, this is supposed to be all organic or something."

"Isn't there a cheaper store?" Allen asked, but Nea shrugged.

"Nah, but this'll do. Don't worry about it, guys, seriously."

The two still looked uneasy, but as they continued, Allen began to relax a little. He went from holding his hands to his chest like a child in a fragile antique shop to actually picking things up to look at them. He mostly put them back, though, and Nea frowned as he could even see how badly Allen wanted some of them.

Letting Link lead since he all but took the cart out from under Nea's hands, Nea took the opportunity to sneak a few of those items Allen wanted at into the cart, the young man ahead of him far enough away that he didn't notice.

As Nea was sneaking a pack of oddly flavored cookies into the cart, though, he saw Allen come to a dead stop.

"They sell wine here, too?!"

"Most stores have a small selection for cooking," Link murmured, though even he appeared apprehensive. "However, this a little…"

With a light roll of his eyes, Nea walked on past with a teasing, "Rich people store!" before continuing to the shelves. The wine, of course, wouldn't be great quality. This wasn't a liquor store or anything similar, of course, but still, maybe he could find something just good enough. They didn't really get the treat of champagne or anything similar at their… very strange wedding, but Nea could make up for that now.

"Hey, Allen, Link, what's your favorite kind?" he asked, though he all but jumped when he saw Allen practically scramble away, like the wine as out to get him.

"He doesn't like alcohol… at all," Link said, following Allen with his eyes like this was also very routine. "The smell of it makes him feel sick, so he avoids it."

"Ooh," Nea said back, suddenly now feeling… very uneased. Allen was already a bag of cats but now it was just getting concerning. "Well… I'll try to find the least alcoholic for the two of us, see if he wants to try it or something…"

Link only hummed noncommittally, but Nea still found a white champagne and dropped it carefully in the cart, though there wasn't much need to when it was several layers high already with all sorts of ingredients, some being very suspicious such as cake flour and an entire gallon of sugar.

"Are you readying for a feast?" Nea jokingly asked, though as Link opened his mouth, Nea cut him off with, "Oh, no, I know. Allen. Yep, learned that lesson," he said, but then turned ahead to see what Allen was looking at, Link in tow though he was growing more concerned looking by the moment.

Allen, though, apparently wasn't looking at much, because he perked up when they arrived. "Hey, did we grab anything for Timcanpy?"

Nea shrugged. "I already packed his food, so don't worry about it. He's on special kibble."

"Special how?" Link asked, and Nea could already feeling the judgmental energy coming off him before he even turned to face him.

"It's… diet food so he'll actually lose some weight. Of course…" Nea grimaced, "my brother feeding him all the time means that he hasn't dropped a single pound."

Allen was giggling, but he still disappeared down an aisle before returning with a dinky cat toy: a feather on a string. "Does he play with these? I noticed he didn't have any toys," he said, and Nea couldn't help but smile.

"I didn't pack any since he's such a lazy cat but… yeah, sure, let's try it."

Allen smiled excitedly, and it cemented that no matter what past this kid came from or what his first impression was, he was a good person. With that, though, Link ushered them to the checkout, and then they had to figure out how they were going to get everything home.

As Link was trying to relay what he thought the best strategy was, though, Allen just snatched the cart and started running with it.

Frankly, it was inhuman, but they got the whole thing home without being arrested, so it worked out. It didn't mean Link didn't lecture them when they got back, but it was so exasperated that Nea didn't even feel like it counted as a scolding.

Afterwards, though, Link went to start dinner, and Nea got a call from his mother to ask if they arrived okay, but the whole time on the phone he just watched as Allen got on the ground with Timcanpy, dragging the feather along the ground and wiggling it. Tim didn't seem to care for it at first until suddenly he was bolting after it like a cannonball with legs, the galloping sounds nearly making Nea sputter while still on the phone.

After he hung up, Nea continued watching as Allen somehow managed to convince Timcanpy to play harder than Nea ever managed. As he followed Timcanpy as he went back and forth across the living room, though, Nea had to wonder why Allen hadn't even used his phone once since they got married. Did he have nobody to check up on him? Even Link, who wasn't even officially married, had people he considered familiar calling him, which was honestly a little strange.

As he put that aside, though, Nea decided to help Link, soon learning that the man was a little meticulous in the kitchen. Everything had to be exact, and just how extreme Link was about it had Nea asking, "I'm… pretty sure you don't have to get the ounces of oil exact if it's just greasing the pan…"

As Link cleared his throat, his cheekbones were a little dusted with pink. "I normally bake, actually. And… since baking is a science, it's a little hard to put away the attention to detail when cooking actual… _food_."

Nea just nodded. He didn't know anything about baking or really even about cooking in general. After all, they had people back home at the estate for that, but watching Link as he worked was definitely more exciting than watching the hired cooks in his own kitchen. He wondered if it was because the cooks were the 'help' or if it was because there was something about Link, but he was willing to embrace the latter option.

At least all the work paid off, because Link was apparently amazing in the kitchen. Allen, despite having eaten his food regularly after all the time they had been together, was singing praises between bites and looked like this was the best meal he'd eaten in his life.

Unfortunately, it seemed to attract Timcanpy, and Nea eventually had to lock him in the bathroom so he would stop swiping pieces of food off their plates.

"He's so cute, though!" Allen complained as Nea grabbed the cat under his arms and dragged him away.

"He's being greedy!" Nea yelled back, already hearing the persistent meowing behind the door once he got it shut. "If we let him eat people food then he'll never stop!"

Only after dinner was over and the dishes were cleaned did Nea open the door and let a very upset cat run out, galloping right to the kitchen to look for crumbs. Link watched as the cat hurried from room to room, and as Nea stepped into the kitchen again, he heard Link mumble, "It's just a dog that looks like a cat," under his breath.

Nea couldn't agree more, but the vet always reassured him that Timcanpy was a cat, so who was he to say?

But being after dinner, Nea decided to try out the champagne. Allen was already huddled on the farthest chair with Timcanpy clutched to his chest like a security blanket, all while Nea was both afraid to get closer or even to leave him out.

"Trust me, Allen, it doesn't smell like alcohol, I promise," Nea said, offering a very small glass. It would just be for tasting, and if Allen wanted more, he would pour him a proper glass.

Meanwhile, he poured a glass for Link, the man immediately smelling it before tasting the contents.

"It's true. Not strong at all…" he said, though by the sound of things, Link was slightly displeased.

Link _did_ have a bit of an accent, and if Nea had to guess, it was German. He tried not to smile too much at that, but then tried again with Allen.

"See? It's basically just sparkling water."

Allen wrinkled his nose a little, but putting Timcanpy on the armrest, he carefully crossed the room to accept the small glass from Nea. He held it far from his nose at first, but then actually properly scented it. His nose wrinkled a little, but not by much, and as he pulled it away, he still looked unconvinced.

Then he tasted it, and suddenly he was all fine.

"Wow… that's…"

"See?" Nea grinned widely. At least being in his family meant he was well-acquainted with all sorts of alcohol. It made this almost easy.

Allen accepted a glass, and Nea decided to raid Tyki's movie collection. Allen hadn't seen anything on those shelves except for some terrible straight to TV horror movies, so he decided to put on a classic, full of blood and gore just to keep up with what Allen's tastes apparently were. Allen wasn't afraid of the movie, though that wasn't a problem. They just sipped their drinks and made comments, and it turned out that Link hadn't seen it either.

"Okay," Nea finally asked partway through, leaning forward in his seat so he could see them all, "seriously, are you guys like… really poor or are you two just really busy?"

Link and Allen looked to each other before answering. "Just busy."

"Ah…"

After going back to the movie, it took a few minutes before Allen started giggling.

"Are you really poor or are you just busy…" he repeated, covering his face with his hand.

Nea tried not to feel embarrassed, giving an amused snort instead. "What? I seriously have to ask that question when you've never seen a movie from 1979!"

"Are you _really_ poor…" Allen repeated again, and his giggling only intensified.

Suddenly Link sighed and just put his hand over his face as well, and Nea fought off some of his own chuckles and just rolled his eyes.

Nearly to the final act, Nea realized that maybe he poured Allen a little too many glasses of champagne, because he was a giggly mess.

The other two had absolutely no clue what he was giggling at. A victim of the alien is begging for death and Allen's almost on the floor, then the main character is panicking and he's only laughing harder. At that point, Nea was afraid to ask, and apparently so was Link if his silence was anything to go by.

At one point, though, Nea spotted Allen leaning close to Link's ear, whispering something just out of range, and almost immediately Link was beet read and pushing him away, not even summoning any words for the moment. It almost made Nea envious that he didn't hear, but maybe it was better he didn't.

By the end of the movie, though, it was absolutely time for bed, and Nea started leading Allen up the steps, only for him to start calling, all too loud, over Nea's shoulder.

"Link! You need to sleep with me!"

"I don't think so," Link said curtly. "Sleep with your husband."

Allen looked appalled at the insinuation. "But it's called a threesome for a reason, Link!"

Nea sputtered violently at the comment in his attempt not to laugh, but then just hurried Allen to the bedroom as fast as possible. The whole way, Allen just continued chanting, "It's true! Join in, Link!" and it took all of Nea's force of will to not simply break down with giggles and exasperation, or even to just let Allen run back out to pester Link.

"Come on, it's time for bed," Nea just chuckled, almost disappointed when Allen finally did lay down. The disappointment almost grew, as well, when Allen was asleep in what felt like record time, as well.

Nea actually envied him a little, but as he glanced at the door, he saw Link, a spectator for the whole fiasco, standing almost in wait.

He was unreadable, but with his hair down and his sleep clothes on, he looked very casual and comfortable. He looked a little lonely, though, and Nea offered a smile.

"Wanna room with us?"

Link sighed and fully entered the room, purposefully avoiding eye contact. "Just to make sure his hangover isn't too bad," he said, and Nea just nodded along.

It was honestly sweet, though this time when they all tried to share the bed, it was a little tight.

When Timcanpy burst in, too, he almost pushed Link off the bed, but it felt more normal and wonderful than Nea expected it to be.


End file.
